Their Happily Ever After
by pyrateluvr
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin knew that he did not deserve a happily ever after, but that didn't stop him from hoping.
1. Chapter 1

Thank goodness the sleeping powder Mara found in Rumple's cupboard worked, the guards at the entrance to the dwarven mines were fast asleep within moments. Sneaking into the prison especially built for Rumpelstiltskin was no easy feat, especially with an almost year old baby girl in her arms, but the knowledge that something terrible was almost upon them lent an air of desperate grace to Mara's actions.

"Love….what are you doing in this horrible place…and why did you bring the wee one? I'm sure I told you to stay away." Rumple asked with a frown on his impish face, as Mara made her way to the cage her lover was being kept in. Ignoring his question…and the statement…Mara moved closer to the bars separating her from her otherworldly love, the baby girl in her arms stirring as she noticed who they had come to see.

"Rum, do you remember the night Alanna was born? How fast she came, how she wouldn't wait for you to go get the midwife? She was in such a hurry to enter this world…like she was so ready to meet her Da, nothing would do but for you to be the one to pull her into this world and be the first to lay hands on her".

"Of course I remember dearie…how could I forget the night my little love joined us….but that does not explain why you are here"

Continueing to ignore his questions, Mara continued, "My love, you told me that we would be going into a strange, new world tonight, that no matter what you did, or what deal you made, there was no way for us to be together, that I would not know you, that Alanna would forget her Da, but that we would both be safe, that no one would be able to hurt us". She spoke softly, but with a determined edge to her voice. "I couldn't figure out why you insisted that I stay so close to Alanna this night, making me promise you that she wouldn't leave my arms. Then I realized, that will ensure she will be with me in the new world, and that if she is with me, then I will be safe from harm."

"Yes, yes, yes….of course" Rumple spoke impatiently "I knew you would figure it out, but that does not help you and I. Even if you are in my arms I will not be able to keep us together, you will forget me when the curse comes over us"

"I understand that Rum…I know you did all that you could" Mara spoke softly, while the tears ran down her face. "I just wanted to make sure our girl could see her Da one last time, and I wanted you to hold her one more time" Mara explained as she slipped the rosy cheeked girl through the bars into her father's arms.

As Rumpelstiltskin held his darling baby girl, feeling her small hands patting his rough skin, he thought of all that he would be losing…again he would be a father with no child.

"Mara, here take her back…the curse is almost upon us, I can feel it moving" Rumple called out anxiously.

But instead of taking the baby, Mara moved farther away from the cage.

"Come get the baby…you have to be holding her!" panic seeping into his voice, a wildness coming over his features.

"I love you Rum, I loved you in this world and I will love you in the next…even if you have to remind me of that love. I will not leave you alone as we go to this horrible place. Tell her about me, tell her our story, tell her how you made a deal and saved my life". Mara was sobbing openly now, staying just out of reach of her lovers arms.

"NOOOOOOOO…that is not the deal!" Rumple yelled as his baby girl cried in his arms. "You will forget her, you won't remember being her mother….and I can't be sure you will be safe"

"But you will remember for me" Mara explained as the darkness overtook them, swallowing up their family and their happily ever after.


	2. Chapter 2

-In Storybrooke…

"Da, tell me the story about the pretty lady and the best deal ever made", Aylish begged, using every ounce of her five year old cuteness.

"Little love, I've told you that old story a hundred times or more. You could tell it to me, and besides, it's far past your bedtime", her father explained indulgently.

"Pleeeeaaaasssseeee Da" the little red-headed girl pleaded, knowing that her father almost never said no when faced with the possibility of his little girl's unhappiness. While the town looked at him and saw a man to be reckoned with, a terror, this one little child held him in the palm of her tiny hand.

With a sigh and a smile Aylish's father began the story. "Well dearie, once upon a time a scary old magician with green/gray skin happened upon a kingdom being ruled by a king with a very interesting problem. This king had a beautiful wife whom he loved dearly, six loving daughters, riches, and so much more. Unfortunately for this king his wife had born him no sons so there was no heir to inherit the kingdom. Now this might not have been such a problem, except the next in line was a cruel man, a cousin to the king who was just waiting for his chance to rule…"

"Da, what was the magician's name?" "Now dearie, you know that name as well as I do….it was Rumpelstiltskin…now let me finish your story" content with the answer Aylish snuggled deeper into her father's arms.

"Rumpelstiltskin approached the king and explained that he could forge a deal that would ensure the health and safety of the kingdom, and it would only cost the king one small trifle. The king was torn; he wanted a son so badly, but the cost was the sacrifice of one of his daughters. In the end, the king decided the promise of a son was more important than the life of a mere daughter.

At this point in the story the little girl looked up at her father with sad eyes, "Da, do you wish I was a boy? Would you give me up to Rumpelstiltskin?"

"Oh my darling, you are worth more to me than all the gold in a kingdom and all the stars in the sky…I would not trade you for anything in this world or another"

Aylish giggled, clearly this was an expected question and response, "Go on Da, tell the rest"

Very well daughter…Rumpelstiltskin told the king that he must have the choice of the four oldest daughters, that she would go with him and become the caretaker of his home. The king called his daughters to the throne room and presented them to the imp. Each of the girls was a beauty, but one girl drew the imp's attention immediately. She had long auburn hair and lovely green eyes, but it was not her beauty that drew his attention, it was the book beneath her arm, the bruise upon her cheek, and the pleading look in her eyes. "Your majesty…I believe that I will choose your red headed daughter, she has an interesting look about her". "Yes, I agree…I will go with him father" the young girl immediately stated.

"NO" shout was heard from across the room, and a large muscle bound man strode up to the king. "Mara was promised to ME! She belongs to ME!" "Marcel, we have not made the betrothal final…the wedding date has not been set" the king exclaimed. "I have other daughters, and in truth Mara may not have been your best match". In his mind the king was secretly relieved at the imp's choice, although he loved all his daughters, Mara had always been a mystery and a trial. Why just look at that bruise on her face, she had become so clumsy lately.

Rumpelstiltskin noticed that when the man had begun shouting the girl Mara actually moved closer to him and farther from her so-called suitor, "hmmmmm….interesting" he thought to himself. "The deal is struck, it cannot be unmade…come with me now girl, there is no need to pack all that you need will be provided at my home". The imp was quick to notice the relief in the green eyes and the haste in which she joined him, and with only a quick good bye to her family the pair were magically whisked away to his castle.

The father noticed that his baby girl was now sound asleep; the telling of the tale was no match for her long day. As he placed a kiss on her sleeping brow he noticed how like her mother she looked, and a tear slid down his cheek…soon my wee little love…soon we will all be together again.

Elsewhere in Storybrooke the night was not as peaceful for all the residents, in one small apartment a young woman with reddish hair and bright green eyes cowered as a fist flew toward her face. "Mark…please stop…I'm sorry I was late, it won't happen again…I'm sorry" Annie begged as her boyfriend continued to pummel her. "I know it won't…because you won't be going back to that place again, you will stay home and take care of me" as Mark hit her one last time Annie sank into unconsciousness…hearing him leave was the last thing she remembered. When Annie came to she was alone in the apartment, and she know that if she did not leave he would truly kill her next time, and even though he had always told her he would kill her if she left she knew she had to take that chance. Gathering her few belongings, Annie staggered out the door, on her way to the one place she felt safe, the one place everyone else in town feared…Mr. Gold's shop.

Early the next morning Mr. Gold limped up to his pawn-shop, running slightly behind schedule as the morning had been slightly disrupted when Aylish's nanny had arrived late. As he walked closer to the door he realized there was someone curled up on the stair in front of the door. As he came closer the shape moved and his part-time employee Annie looked up at him. The shock on his face was impossible to hide…"My god, what did he do to you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Once Rumple and Mara arrived at Dark Castle she was exhausted from the emotions of the day, yet still excited to see the inside of this amazing structure. "Come along little one…let me show you to your quarters and where you will be preparing my meals" Rumpelstiltskin giggled manically as he led the way…."Oh and dearie…I shall be expecting you to tell me a story tonight"

Shock evident on her face, Mara asked, "What kind of story sir?" "Oh, I want to learn why you were so eager to join me, so eager to agree to this deal"

After leading Mara on a tour of the castle, making sure she knew how he expected ALL of the rooms to be clean, and ALL of his meals to be cooked and served, Rumpelstiltskin sat in a chair amidst hundreds of books in the massive castle library, Mara perched on a stool at his feet, ready to start her story.

"Now dearie…the truth…tell me…and let's start with the bruise on your face" the imp demanded

"Sir, you know I was to be married to Marcel…it was not final, but he was very particular and he felt I needed to be disciplined, so that when we were man and wife I would know how to behave". Mara explained her dark secret, looking down all the while.

"You little fool…your father seemed kind enough, why did not tell him what was happening?" "Marcel told me he would murder me in my bed if I dared tell anyone, and truly no one would have believed me…he was very solicitous to me in public".

"Sooooo….you decided I was the lesser of two evils…I suppose I should be flattered!" "Well, that is one thing you do not have to fear from me, I will never lay a hand upon you, and no one else will for that matter" Rumple cackled madly

The relief on Mara's face was obvious, and even though she did not know what the future held, her instincts told her that she was safer here than she would ever have been with Marcel.

-In Storybrooke

The fury on Mr. Gold's face would have terrified Annie had she been looking his way; instead she was looking at the floor, ashamed of what had happened the night before.

If she had been paying attention she might have heard his frantic mutterings, and wondered what craziness was coming from his mouth. "I told you I couldn't keep you safe if you didn't keep the baby with you…this is what I worried about the most…you were only part of the deal if the wee one was with you".

"Let me look at your face…we should probably go to the hospital" "NO…no hospitals…I'll be fine, I just need some ice…that's always worked in the….." her voice trailing off as she saw the look on Mr. Gold's face.

"I'm sorry Mr. Gold, I never wanted you to know what was happening, but I didn't know where else to go, he said he would kill me if I left, and he doesn't want me to work here anymore." Annie explained softly, not sure how to explain that it wasn't the beatings she took that made her leave, but instead the idea of never seeing Mr. Gold again that had her fleeing her tormentor, she couldn't even explain that oddity to herself.

The anger brewing inside of Mr. Gold was beyond anything he had ever felt, how dare that idiot put his hands on her, how dare he hurt her….when he took her from her father he had promised her no one would ever hurt her again! "Don't worry about that moron Marce…I mean Mark, I'll make sure he never bothers you again".

"Mr. Gold, please don't do anything, I'll take care of it…I'm sure it will all be OK" Annie nervously looked around, embarrassed that Mr. Gold thought he had to take care of her, that she couldn't take care of herself.

Knowing that the time was finally right to remind her of her love, Mr. Gold gently placed his hand on her uninjured cheek, Annie I want to you move into my house, I need a new nanny for Aylish and she loves you already and it would be a perfect arrangement for both of us.

Annie just looked at Mr. Gold, confused both by his offer and her own feelings. Ever since Emma Swan had come to town and the clock tower had started working again Annie had been having the strangest dreams, dreams that centered around a strange man who looked much like Mr. Gold and a baby girl with beautiful green/gold eyes. Almost against her own will Annie found herself nodding and accepting the shop owner's offer."


	4. Chapter 4

As the months past Mara found herself feeling happier than she ever expected. Rumpelstiltskin had provided her with a beautiful room, all the books she could possibly read, and the tasks he asked of her were not too difficult. She even enjoyed spending time with her "captor", he told outrageous stories and she loved to watch him spin. After six months of living in close quarters Mara realized her feelings towards Rumple were changing, she began to see that what she truly felt was love. Unfortunately, life had hurt and scorned Rumpelstiltskin so many times she knew he would never be able to believe that someone would actually love him. So she began her mission of love, doing little things every day to help his see that she loved him and all of his eccentricities.

At first she only brushed against him every chance she got, feeling him shudder when it happened. Once he became used to that contact, she began touching him whenever she served him food or tea, or when handed him straw for the spinning wheel. This was difficult for Rumple to handle, it had been so long since anyone had touched him with affection, he didn't know how to handle the feelings it stirred up within him. At first he thought all the brushes and soft touches were accidental, but then he noticed that she watched him whenever it happened, looking to see what his reaction would be. One day while he was sitting at the spinning wheel and Mara was in her usual spot on a stool at his feet he looked down at her and asked, "Dearie…why do you persist in touching me…what is it you want from me?

"Oh Rum, I don't want anything that you can't give…I just want to understand how I feel about you"

Leaning in very close to Mara's face, Rumple looked curiously at her…"and just how do you feel?"

Mara leaned up slightly and gently placed her lips on his and as she kissed him softly she said…"why you silly man…I love you of course"


End file.
